Pilots Owner Wants Improved Stadium

June 09, 1990|By WARNER HESSLER Staff Writer

HAMPTON — The owner of the Peninsula Pilots, whose two-year lease at War Memorial Stadium expires at the end of the current Carolina League baseball season, has compiled a wish list of stadium improvements that could cost taxpayers upward of $500,000.

Jay Acton of New York City, who purchased the Pilots from Gil Granger of Williamsburg prior to the 1989 season, met with the Peninsula Stadium Authority early last week and asked for sweeping improvements to the 42-year old War Memorial Stadium.

"Every owner has a wish list," Acton said. "We put on the table a list of things that we would like to have done, and they have to respond to that. They understand what has to be done."

According to three members of the authority, Acton's wish list of things that have to be done includes the following:

* an improved drainage system, especially in the outfield;

* fully paved and illuminated parking lots. The current lots are dirt and gravel with no direct lighting;

* a new facade and entrance to the stadium;

* new concession stands;

* and new players' clubhouses.

Angle Owens, chairman of the stadium authority, said he has not estimated the cost of the projects, but it's believed the total could reach $500,000.

"When you talk about putting asphalt on those parking lots, you're talking six figures right there," said George Wallace, assistant city manager for Hampton and a member of the eight-man stadium authority.

War Memorial Stadium, located on Kentucky Avenue in Hampton, is funded jointly by the cities of Hampton and Newport News.

Each city contributes $15,000 annually for maintenance and general improvements, and each city has four members on the board. Major improvements costing more than $30,000 require the authority to petition the cities for additional money, and five votes are required to approve a recommendation to the cities.

The stadium authority, with Acton's wish list in hand, will meet Tuesday to discuss the request for improvements.

"We are going to look at what he wants, see what we can do, and try to determine what degree of support it will generate," Wallace said. "When we do that, then we'll make a recommendation to the cities."

Acton, who has often said he likes the up-close-and-personal characteristic of War Memorial Stadium, said he is not asking the cities to build a new stadium. Rather, he wants to combine the stadium's old charm with modern facilities.

"I don't mean to have them build a $13-million park," he said, "but we're selling family entertainment, and we want nice concession stands and rest rooms."

Acton said some of the items on his wish list were requested by the Seattle Mariners, who entered into a two-year player development contract with the Pilots this season.

"Seattle asked for some things," he said, "and one of the things is the players need more dressing room space. They don't want 25 players in a cramped room."

Acton said he didn't issue any threats about moving the team if the authority did not agree to the improvements, but stadium improvements have played a large role in other minor league baseball teams he has owned.

When the Watertown (N.Y.) City Council refused to make much-needed improvements to its stadium, Acton moved the Class A team to Welland, Ontario, on the promise of a new stadium. That stadium was completed last season.

Acton received a Class A expansion team and placed it in South Bend, Ind., which built a $10-million stadium. Acton's United Baseball corporation then sold the two franchises, which cost approximately $675,000, before the 1990 season for a reported $4 million.

Acton, who said the Pilots are not for sale "in the foreseeable future", would not rule out the possibility of moving the Peninsula franchise to another area.

"There's no possibility we'll sell the Pilots this or next year," he said, "but there are always people opportuning you to move to their city.

"We lost around $225,000 last season, and I can see us losing $100,000 more this season. We're looking at other territories. You always examine your options when you've lost so much money. But we want to work with the stadium people first."

Several members of the stadium authority said they would like to see a commitment from Acton in the form of a long-term lease. But Wallace hinted that it would be foolish to expect a Class A franchise to generate the large amount of money necessary to cover major stadium improvements.

"We're not unaware of how Acton has operated in other cities," Wallace said. "We know his track record, but I don't see any franchise at this level viable enough to repay the cost of major improvements.

"What we must decide is whether the improvements will improve the quality of life for our residents to make the expenditure worthwhile."

Joe Spencer, a member of the authority, questioned whether the Pilots were actually in a position to seek sweeping and costly improvements to the stadium.